Defense minister says army preparing for war

August 17, Pozirk. The Belarusian army is preparing to repel potential enemy attacks and wage war, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin told Alaksandar Łukašenka on August 13, but the state-run media have aired the report on the closed meeting only today.

Regular drills and conscript call-ups are part of the Armed Forces’ preparations for military action, he noted.

“I understand that this issue [a surprise enemy attack] is of great concern, but it is our main task, and that of the army in general, to be ready to repel enemy aggression,” the official stressed weeks ahead of the major Belarusian-Russian Zapad-2025 exercise.

The drill scheduled to take place in Belarus on September 12-16 would involve training in planning the use of nuclear weapons and Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Chrenin said earlier this week.

Belarus frequently conducts drills amid tensions with the West and Russia’s war against Ukraine, in which Minsk supports the Kremlin.

In February 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine from Belarusian territory following joint maneuvers.

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